So I don't normally get into these forum things but I've been lurking for a few months, decided there's some great info here and went out and bought a 2012 990 Adventure a few weeks ago. Like many, I was considering the BMW GS 1200 Adventure, the Tenere and the KTM. I read tons of stuff about all of them and to be honest, I rode none of them. My last motorcycle was a 1990 Honda CB-1 (The little bike that could). I bought that bike because it made me laugh out loud as the tach hit it's 13,500 red line. To me, that is what any wheeled hobby should do. It should provide me with a place where the world goes away and I find myself grinning (or laughing) even if I'm riding by myself. Most of my life, I've been a cyclist (as in bicyclist). Every form of cycling but mountain biking is my true love. Bombing some flowy singletrack has always put that smile on my face. For a number of reasons, mountain biking has become less accessible to me and motorcycles have become appealing to me again. So I did my research on here and a few other places and kept coming back to the KTM. My local dealer called me about a month ago and said we'll give you one for $12,999. That was about the price I was looking for (seemed a little more realistic than $21,000 for a GSA) and a few weeks later I went and did it. I left the dealer's lot half scared (It's been a while since I've ridden) but got my shit down pretty quick and found myself playing in a dirt field until about 10 that night. Long winded intro here, but the point of all this rambling is that I bought the bike because of what I read here. I kept coming back to the "grin" that everyone kept talking about. That and I remember someone describing the bike as a "Lion with his nuts twisted up in a rubber band" or something to that effect. That sounded fun to me. At any rate, thanks for letting me share and I'm sure I'll be picking brains for info in the future.

So I don't normally get into these forum things but I've been lurking for a few months, decided there's some great info here and went out and bought a 2012 990 Adventure a few weeks ago. Like many, I was considering the BMW GS 1200 Adventure, the Tenere and the KTM. I read tons of stuff about all of them and to be honest, I rode none of them. My last motorcycle was a 1990 Honda CB-1 (The little bike that could). I bought that bike because it made me laugh out loud as the tach hit it's 13,500 red line. To me, that is what any wheeled hobby should do. It should provide me with a place where the world goes away and I find myself grinning (or laughing) even if I'm riding by myself. Most of my life, I've been a cyclist (as in bicyclist). Every form of cycling but mountain biking is my true love. Bombing some flowy singletrack has always put that smile on my face. For a number of reasons, mountain biking has become less accessible to me and motorcycles have become appealing to me again. So I did my research on here and a few other places and kept coming back to the KTM. My local dealer called me about a month ago and said we'll give you one for $12,999. That was about the price I was looking for (seemed a little more realistic than $21,000 for a GSA) and a few weeks later I went and did it. I left the dealer's lot half scared (It's been a while since I've ridden) but got my shit down pretty quick and found myself playing in a dirt field until about 10 that night. Long winded intro here, but the point of all this rambling is that I bought the bike because of what I read here. I kept coming back to the "grin" that everyone kept talking about. That and I remember someone describing the bike as a "Lion with his nuts twisted up in a rubber band" or something to that effect. That sounded fun to me. At any rate, thanks for letting me share and I'm sure I'll be picking brains for info in the future.

I dont believe you are a Noob at all! Maybe to this forum, yes. But loved your post. I bought my KTM 950 last year having only ridden briefly a Bmw 800GS and a BMW 1150GS. I didnt ride them to compare - I just happened to be offered the chance while on holiday. But this forum "encouraged" me to try a KTM and I am very happy that I did.

Thanks all. RozzyCat, the link you posted is awesome. I've been reading thru some of that stuff. Very helpful. There of course are people out there that make it sound like you're working on this bike after every single ride. It seems to me that regular maintenance and upgrading a few things will keep this bike running for a long damn time. Either way, I love riding the thing. It terrifies me and delights me all at once.